Wheel chocks are wedge-shaped objects that are placed against one or more of the wheels of a wheeled vehicle to restrain movement when the vehicle is parked. Some wheel chocks are portable while others are mounted in a fixed location, such as the floor in a trailer. When fixed in location, it is desirable for the wheel chock to have two positions—a raised position in which the wheel chock restrains the wheel and a retracted position in which the wheel chock is flush, or nearly flush, with the floor. Placing the wheel chock in the retracted position allows a trailer to be used for purposes other than transporting the wheeled vehicle without the wheel chock causing any interference. It also eliminates the danger of a person tripping over the wheel chock.
Various two-position wheel chocks have been disclosed. For example, Hageman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,211, Jul. 1, 2003, discloses a two-position wheel chock having a ramped base and a chock formed of three pivotably connected sections (a slider, an engaging member, and two rails) that can be moved along the base to the desired location. Once in the desired location, the engaging member and the rails are raised upward to form a wedge. The Hageman et al. wheel chock lacks a recess into which the wheel rests so some mechanism is necessary to hold the wheel against the wheel chock. The Hageman et al. wheel chock also lacks any mechanism to hold a two wheeled vehicle (e.g., a motorcycle) in the upright position.
As another example, the Triton Corporation of Hartford, Wis. sells a wheel chock having a recess and a flush cover that pivots upward to form an angled stop. The Triton model no. 14114 wheel chock is shown at the Triton Corporation website at www.tritontrailers.com. The Triton wheel chock does not accommodate vehicles having wide tires because the tires do not fit into the narrow recess. The Triton wheel chock also lacks any mechanism to hold a two wheeled vehicle in the upright position.
Accordingly, there is a demand for a wheel chock that retracts to a flush position, that has a platform into which tires of any width can fit, and that has an optional means for holding a two wheeled vehicle in the upright position.